OHIO FINDS

1918 following a re two years earlier. Paranormal activity is o en associated with a 1937 addition to the hotel constructed by former owner Reno Hoag and his son, S. Durward Hoag. Most of it occurs on the third oor, where the family lived. e downstairs lobby houses a large mirror that was moved from the third oor, and guests have reported seeing strange images or people in the glass a er taking pictures with it. 101 Front St., Marie a 45750, 800/3319336, lafaye ehotel.com

Golden Lamb • Lebanon

e Golden Lamb has the distinction of being Ohio’s oldest continually operating business, opening as a log-cabin tavern in 1803. Originally owned by Jonas Seaman, the property operates as a restaurant with guestrooms. e Golden Lamb has hosted many notable people over the years, including 12 U.S. presidents, but ghost stories are also part of its history. O en featured in ghostly guidebooks relating to Ohio, the historic building is said to house the spirit of Sarah Stubbs, who grew up in the Golden Lamb. Display rooms on the fourth oor share the Golden Lamb’s history with one dedicated to Stubbs and named in her honor. 27 S. Broadway, Lebanon 45036, 513/932-5065, goldenlamb.com — Sean Repuyan

19TH-CENTURY SHAVING MUG

Shaving in America took a unique turn after the Civil War with the use of personalized shaving mugs — a concept no other country adopted. When beards went out of style in the 1860s, shaving was done with a straight razor and often by barbers. To maintain sanitary conditions, shaving mugs for regular customers were kept in the barbershop. The personalization of those mugs made it easy to match each mug with its owner.

The decorations ranged from simple to highly detailed, including the use of hand-painted occupational scenes, fraternal emblems or depictions of hobbies. This shaving mug had a hand-painted design of a steam locomotive pulling a tender lettered “B. of L.F.” (Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen) over the name R.D. Smith. The original owner of this shaving mug was likely a fireman on a steam locomotive.

Although the decorators of such mugs usually remained anonymous, this example from the late 19th century has an ink stamp noting J.R. Voldan of Cleveland painted it.

In 1903, the introduction of the safety razor and disposable blades led to the decline of barbershop shaves. — Richard “Jeff” Jeffers

$88 SOLD AT AUCTION